Curb Appeal: Right choice of colour will enhance curb appeal

Important to harmonize both halves

The siding should be painted a neutral greyish taupe similar to the concrete slabs on each side of the front door. The garden can be planted in stages.

Photograph by: Suzanne Rowe
, The Gazette

More often than not, the culprit responsible for a lack of curb appeal is a bad choice of colouring. In our case, the red siding is visually competing with the rusty brick wall. I chose for this expecting parents’ home, a neutral greyish taupe that is similar to the two vertical cement slabs on each side of the front door, but darker.

When one owns a semi-detached house, one ought to be on very good terms with its twin. They should both try to create a mirror effect by harmonizing the two halves with the same features and colours. Both families will then be winners as this operation would contribute to a positive optical illusion. Each individual home will look like a more substantial single house.

The front door and its contour, the garage door and its trims will adopt the tint of the current roof and the new dark brown commercial shutters. Vertical pipes or gutters should match the colour of their backdrop. New and more contemporary silver light fixtures will effortlessly coordinate with the doorknob and the small details of the windows and also help to inspire a youth factor.

On both sides of the porch and the three top steps, new rectangular flowerbed borders ought to end at the base of the embankments in a straight line. Two other leaner beds on the sides of the middle walkway and all the way to the first step where it is still levelled will host hedges of pinkish purple Salvia perennials. On the left of the facade, a pyramidal evergreen and a tall pink blooming Lythrum salicaria Robert will camouflage the gutter, electrical hardware and the thermo pump.

To enhance the front view, I’ve chosen contrasting foliage colours and textures as well as pink and purple blooms. The anchoring quality of the conifer’s greenery and the yellow, orange or burgundy leaves of some of the shrubs, as well as the variegated foliage or flowering perennials, all play a role in the zesty interaction.

Natural elements can be purchased in different stages. All the vegetation closer to the foundation could be planted the first year. Then, next spring, the construction of the beds with either concrete dividers or stained treated wood along with periodically filling up the space with the rest of the plants could be less overwhelming.

For many cold months, the new garden will pull its white cover to slumber. It will later be awakened by April showers and the warm rays of the sun that will encourage it to show its true colours. It will also be stirred by a toddler wanting to pitch in with its tiny hands, pulling and eating everything in sight.

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